Biography

Steve completed a Masters of Applied Science in Electrical Engineering through the Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering at McMaster University in 2005. His Masters work focused on efficiency considerations and electrical losses in the rotor of a squirrel cage induction motor. He was awarded his Bachelor of Engineering and Management in Electrical Engineering in 2002, from McMaster University.

Steve began his PhD studies in September of 2009 with the IATSL following his acceptance into the IBBME. His research looks to extend previous work on the COACH prompting system. Specifically, he seeks to generalize the assistance provided by the COACH to other daily tasks (beyond the task of hand washing), and develop it into a product that can be used in the homes of people with dementia. His project looks to increase the independence, autonomy and quality of life of people with dementia by allowing them to live more independently, reducing the burden on caregivers, and on global health care.

Select Publications

Peer Reviewed Conference Papers

Grzes, M., Hoey, J., Khan, S., Mihailidis, A., Czarnuch, S., Jackson, D. (2011 (forthcoming). Relational Approach to Knowledge Engineering for POMDP-based Assistance Systems with Encoding of a Psychological Model. Paper presented at the KEPS: 21st International Conference on Automated Planning and Scheduling, Freiburg, Germany.

Book Chapters

Mihailidis, A., Boger, J., Czarnuch, S., Nagdee, T., & Hoey, J. (2011 (forthcoming)). Ambient Assisted Living Technology to Support Older Adults with Dementia with Activities of Daily Living: Key Concepts and the State of the Art The Handbook of Ambient Assistive Technologies for Healthcare, Rehabilitation and Well-being.: IOS Press.

Conference Presentations

Czarnuch, S., Boger, J., & Mihailidis, A. (2010). Prompting older adults with dementia through tasks with the COACH. Paper presented at the Toronto Rehab’s 6th Annual Research Day, Toronto, Ontario.

Czarnuch, S., Boger, J., & Mihailidis, A. (2011). COACH@Home: An Ambient Assistive Living Technology for People with Dementia. Paper presented at the Caregiving Best Practices Day, Toronto, Ontario.

Czarnuch, S., Boger, J., & Mihailidis, A. (2011). COACH@Home: An Ambient Assistive Living Technology for People with Dementia. Paper presented at the Festival of International Conferences on Caregiving, Disability, Aging and Technology, Toronto, Ontario.

Poster Presentations

Czarnuch, S., Zagorovsky, K., Tang, P., Wu, N., & Posatskiy, A. (2009). A Tool For Rudimentary Self-Screening of Diabetic Retinopathy and Related Disorders. Poster presented at the BME1450 Poster session.

Czarnuch, S., Boger, J., & Mihailidis, A. (2011). Supporting Older Adults with Dementia with Ambient Assistive Living Technology. Poster presented at the IBBME Scientific Day, University of Toronto.

Master’s Thesis

Czarnuch, S. (2005). Interbar Currents in Rotating Stator Induction Machines. M.A.Sc., McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.